Why Can't He Be You
by need not
Summary: She is Waverly Freaking Earp and she is strong and capable and a girl shouldn't turn her stomach to knots— But she does. Progression of Waverly's feelings for Nicole. Starts after 1x03, will continue as I watch the series.
1. Chapter 1

She's not supposed to be thinking about this.

Hell, she knows she isn't. She's not Wynonna, she's not brave.

And she's lying in bed with her boyfriend, who could have died today, and-

She's thinking about Nicole.

It pains her to even admit it to herself.

Champ has his arm over her waist and she should be grateful, she should be thanking her stars he's here with her.

But all she can think about is Nicole's face and the way their hands touched and how grateful she was to see her. And how when they touched it lit a fire in her belly and how suddenly, Champ's lips and arms on her just felt wrong.

She's always been the impulsive one, the one sneaking out the window late at night when Gus was asleep to go kiss boys (not steal things like her sister,) the one who never got caught.

But now all she wants to do is throw off the covers and make up an emergency just so Nicole will show up at her door with concern in her eyes.

Guilt floods her face at the thought of what Champ said, how something about her seemed wrong, off. And embarrassment follows soon after when she thinks of how Champ was kissing her and later, fucking her, and she found herself looking for curves and softness that weren't there.

God, she is so fucked.

Really she's not even supposed to be here in Champ's bed. Her room back at the homestead is waiting for her, and her sister is waiting for her.

But he almost died for Christ's sakes so she felt obligated to stay here, to sleep with him.

She is not Wynonna. Wynonna wouldn't even be with Champ in the first place, Wynonna would tell him to fuck off and maybe she would flirt back with Officer Haught instead of grinning like an idiot and blushing whenever she looked her way.

But she's tired of being in her sister's shadow, tired of wondering what Wynonna would do.

And it's not like Wynonna would be disappointed in her kissing a girl, Lord knows she's done it before.

Waverly thinks back to a night they had at Gus's, three in the morning Wynonna sneaking in through Waverly's window and smelling like gardenias, cheeks flushed.

* * *

 _"Where were you?"_

 _Wynonna's eyes were bright. "Go back to sleep, Waverly."_

 _"You smell different."_

 _She was sixteen. Accusing, looking up to her sister and at the same time wanting nothing to do with her._

 _"I said go back to sleep."_

 _But Wynonna's tone lacked the harshness it normally did._

 _"Who were you kissing?" Waverly asked, because she knew that look in her sister's eyes._

 _"None of your business."_

 _"Come on," Waverly whined, because even at sixteen she knew how to charm her sister._

 _Wynonna rolled her eyes. "Fine. You know that waitress down at Shorty's? Lili Anne?"_

 _Waverly's eyes widened. "You didn't."_

 _"I did."_

 _Wynonna plopped herself down on Waverly's bed as Waverly scooted forward and wrapped her arms around her knees._

 _"What's it like?" she asked. "Kissing a girl?"_

 _Wynonna shrugged. "Nice, I guess. Different from kissing a boy. But nice."_

 _Waverly felt heat go up her own face. "Does Gus know?"_

 _"Nah, not like she'd care. I've done worse," Wynonna said, grinning. Then her grin softened. "What? You thinking about doing it?"_

 _Waverly shrugged. "I dunno. Not right now. I like boys, and Bo Ember's still keen on me, so. He promised to take me to homecoming."_

 _Wynonna smiled. "Well, little sister. I won't care either way."_

* * *

Thinking about that conversation now is a weight pressing on Waverly's chest. Not like she can break up with Champ now, not since he's almost come back from the dead. Not like she can add any more stress to Wynonna's life.

Besides, she's supposed to be investigating the Earp curse. And investigators have more on their plates than kissing officers behind Shorty's…

She wishes she could talk to Shorty about this. She doesn't even care what he'd think, and suddenly, the ache of missing him and the confusion of wanting Nicole is too much, and Waverly brings her knees up to her chest and tries to stifle a sob.

Champ stirs, face pressing into her back.

She thinks he's going to say something, comfort her (or try to), but all he does is mumble something about cows and roll over again, taking half the covers with him and leaving Waverly cold and alone.


	2. Chapter 2

She's sitting at the bar at Shorty's, nursing a small glass of whiskey like her sister sometimes does.

She doesn't want to think about her sister right now.

Waverly absentmindedly kicks her legs like a child, lays her head down on the bar and immediately regrets it when her chin gets sticky.

She should wipe it down but she can't bring herself to move.

Gus has gone home with a headache, and she's supposed to be closing things down, but all she can think about is what she said to Wynonna and the fight she had with Champ earlier and—

 _I should be the heir._

She should. She really, really should.

The bell on the front door dings.

"We're closed," she says, not even bothering to turn around.

"I know. I came looking for you," the voice says, and Waverly feels heat rush to her cheeks involuntarily.

Nicole.

It's not that she's been avoiding her, per se, but more that…

Okay, she's totally been avoiding her.

Ever since Shorty died two weeks ago, since their hands brushed, since that sleepless night and countless nights in between where all she's done is think about their hands touching or what it would be like to kiss her…

Easier for it just to be in her mind than for her to confront it, right?

And then Nicole is there, still in her uniform, pulling up a chair next to Waverly and nudging her with her shoulder, and that small act sends sparks down Waverly's arm.

"Dolls told me what happened. Or I overheard it, I guess, not that Officer Dolls and I are particularly close, I just… I wanted to see if you were okay."

Nicole's looking at her like she actually cares.

"I'm fine," Waverly says automatically before sneaking a glance back at Nicole, who is trying her hardest not to look at her, too.

"Are you?"

It's that question that undoes her. Waverly downs the rest of her whiskey, grimacing at the taste.

"Yup. Peachy. Totally and absolutely wonderful."

"Waverly…"

Nicole reaches out to touch her arm but Waverly scoots back on the barstool as far as she can, trying to ignore the hurt flickering across Nicole's face at the action.

"What? I'm fine. Just because Wynonna almost got killed today and just because okay part of it might be my fault and just because I put all this work and research in and yeah okay I should totally be the heir, that doesn't mean I'm not—"

She catches her breath, looks up at Nicole through her lashes. Nicole's smiling at her encouragingly and she wants—

"I'm fine," she says again, voice breathless.

"I don't believe you," Nicole says, and there's a glint of humor in her eyes but also something else, something that looks a lot like caring.

Waverly's breath catches in her throat and all her late-night thoughts about Nicole come rushing back and holy smokes she really shouldn't be doing this, there are revenants to fight and her sister to console and she's sitting in a bar about to—

And then the door dings again and Waverly jumps like she's been shot and she pulls back from Nicole.

"Babe, there you are. I was hoping I'd find you here."

Champ.

Dammit why does his timing have to be so perfect?

"Hi," Waverly says, her tone syrupy and sweet and a smile breaks across her face at the sight of him before she can make it stop.

She can feel Nicole watching them and she wants to tell Champ to leave but given his feelings about Nicole before, that would absolutely not be a good idea.

"Rough day?" he says, and he comes up behind her and nuzzles her neck, and she finds herself squirming, but not in the nice way this usually makes her squirm.

"Yeah, don't you know it," she says.

"Place almost closed down? You staying with me tonight?"

Oh stars if she looks at Nicole right now she's going to lose it.

"Nah, Wynonna needs me," she says.

Champ bites her earlobe and her face flushes crimson.

"Champ—"

"Your sister's seen you all day," he pouts. Literally sticks out his bottom lip and pouts. "Come on, baby."

 _I should be the heir._

"Not tonight," she says. "Seriously. We've got family business to attend to."

His arms wrap further around her waist like Nicole isn't even there. And Waverly dares herself to make eye contact with Nicole and she does and Nicole's biting her lip and looking like she really, really wants to say something but doesn't.

"I'd best be going," she says. "See you around, Waverly. Hope you and your sister are able to work things out," she adds pointedly, and leaves before Waverly can even say anything else to her.

"What's her problem?" Champ says, trailing kisses down her neck.

"I dunno, you did kinda barge in when we were talking…"

It's out of her mouth before she can think about it, and Champ pulls back.

"Seriously, Wave? It's a bar. It's public. What could you have been talking about that's so important?"

He tries to sound casual and fails.

She shrugs. "Nothing. I need to… I need to go take care of Wynonna. I'll see you later," she says, and gives him a quick peck on the lips before rushing out the door.

Stars, that was close.

But what would she have done, really? She and Nicole were just talking and they were in a bar and if Champ hadn't come in, what would they have done?

Would she have been brave enough to do it?

"Waverly, you idiot," she chides herself as she gets in the truck and drives home.

She wishes she could talk to Wynonna about this but Wynonna has enough on her plate without worrying about her little sister.

If she were the heir, though, Wynonna wouldn't have to worry as much.

Ugh, what a mess this is.

She turns on the radio and belts out a Patsy Cline song to make herself feel better and by the time she reaches the homestead her only thoughts are of her sister and the bubblegum sake she's got under the sink.

They're certainly not still lingering on a red-haired officer.

Not at all.


	3. Chapter 3

It's the first time she hasn't felt sad about a breakup.

Really, there's nothing to be sad for. Wynonna was right, she should've left Champ a long time ago.

But the sex was good, and okay yeah, he was good to look at…

Dammit, if she starts regretting this now she'll call him and she does not need to do that.

She swings her legs and the rickety old chair creaks, the same chair her Daddy used to sit in when they'd all eat dinner together as a family.

The skull sits across from her, a macabre sort of centerpiece, the hollows where its eyes used to be peering out at her.

"What?" she says to it. "You know I should've broken up with him."

The skull says nothing.

"Ugh, you're no help," Waverly says, and pushes back from the table, crossing to the mantle and plugging her iPod in.

Nothing like her Daddy's old country tunes to clear her mind of Champ.

(But really, the more she thinks about it, the more she realizes he was just all looks and no brains, and yeah, he expected her to be the same thing. This is why she never told him about the college classes, about her research, about the languages she's fluent in, because the girl Waverly Earp was with Champ didn't like those things; the girl she was with Champ liked football and loud pickup trucks and really disgusting beer, liked sex and reality TV shows and not much else.)

Maybe it's time to be someone else. Maybe it's time to be a girl she can be proud of.

(Maybe it's time to be a girl Nicole could be proud of.)

The thought crosses her mind before she can stop it, but she lets it linger, anyway. She's a free woman now, after all.

Tammy Wynette comes on the radio singing about standing by your man and for the first time Waverly doesn't identify with the song like she used to. She's older now. Grown up. Kick your man to the curb if he doesn't value you, right?

That's what Wynonna would do.

Still, she belts out the song with Tammy anyway, throwing her arms out dramatically as she gets to the chorus.

The skull looks on from the table.

Dammit, she is important. She is Waverly Earp, Keeper of the Bones (whatever that means), she's helping her sister kill revenants and she's broken up with her boyfriend and she's feeling absolutely, 100% fine about it.

Her phone rings, interrupting the music. She rolls her eyes because what if it's Champ trying to get back together with her (this wouldn't be the first time).

Instead, it's Wynonna.

"A little bird told me you broke up with Champ," her sister says the second she picks up the phone.

"Did this little bird happen to be named Gus?"

"Word travels fast in Purgatory. Is that… are you listening to Tammy Wynette?"

"No," Waverly says, immediately embarrassed.

"No, you totally are," Wynonna says. "Geeze. Is it that bad?"

"I'm not upset about it," Waverly says. "It was time. Even if the sex was good."

She hangs up before Wynonna can ask any more questions. She knows her sister will give her shit for it, later.

She cranks up the volume and sings along to Loretta Lynn. Now that's better—there's anger in some of her songs, and Waverly's beginning to realize how angry she is for wasting all her time on Champ when she could've been dating—

 _Knock knock knock_.

Waverly turns down the music and goes to open the door.

And it's Nicole.

"H-hi," she says as she opens the door, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, trying not to stare at Nicole in her uniform or her lips or—

Loretta Lynn sings on in the background.

"Can I come in or are you just gonna stand there?" Nicole says, smile playing at the corners of her lips.

"Um… um, yeah. You can come in."

Nicole is here. Nicole is here in the homestead and in her living room and she's looking at her family's things and she's broken up with Champ and—

"Can you give me a minute?" Waverly squeaks, and runs to her bathroom and shuts the door before Nicole has a chance to respond.

Nicole Haught is in her apartment and she's single.

 _Calm down_ , she tells her reflection. She is the Keeper of the Bones. She is Waverly Freaking Earp and she is strong and capable and a girl shouldn't turn her stomach to knots—

But she does.

"Everything all right in there?" Nicole calls, and Waverly calls back "yeah" in a shaky voice and splashes some water on her face before heading back out.

Nicole's standing in her living room, looking awkward and adorable, hat twisted in her hands.

"What can I help you with, Officer?" Waverly teases, and she can hear the flirty tone in her own voice.

Nicole looks up at her, then jerks her head to the iPod. "Loretta Lynn? You go through a breakup or something?"

Waverly's face flushes, and Nicole immediately backtracks. "That was insensitive, I shouldn't have assumed—"

"No, no, you're right—I broke up with Champ today," Waverly says dismissively.

Nicole nods, but she doesn't say anything else. She begins to wander around the living room, looking at photos, the couch, everything in the homestead.

It doesn't make Waverly uncomfortable, or fearful that Nicole's going to break something.

"Is this you?" Nicole says, and Waverly immediately knows which photo she's looking at.

"Yeah, it is," she says. "And that's Wynonna. And… and Willa."

The three Earp sisters stand on the porch, arms around shoulders.

"It's hard to imagine Wynonna ever looking innocent," Nicole says, and Waverly laughs.

"Yeah, that… that kind of changed after Daddy and Willa died."

"I guess that'd make anyone hard, all that responsibility," Nicole says. "You were real cute back then."

"Gee, thanks."

"You still are, though," Nicole says, and she catches Waverly's eye and Waverly feels heat rushing up to her face again.

The walkie-talkie on Nicole's belt squawks and Waverly curses her luck. Nicole grimaces, but she responds.

"Guess I'd better go," she says, and makes her way to the door. "Oh, and Waverly?"

"Yeah?" Waverly says, and she looks at Nicole and she hopes she might lean in, hopes—

"I'm real glad you broke up with Champ," Nicole says, and she tips her hat and then she's gone, walking off the porch, a piece of Waverly's heart going with her.


	4. Chapter 4

She runs to the bathroom so they can't see the tears already starting to leak from her face. She's not good at pity-sure, she's good at comforting other people, but not taking the same comfort herself.

And god, seeing Nicole in that hospital bed just makes her feel so-

helpless.

And if there's one thing Waverly hates being, it's helpless.

She wipes at her eyes with the heel of her hand, curses when it comes away black and smudged with mascara.

At least they can't follow her in here, Dolls and the sheriff.

"The last thing I saw was Waverly Earp smiling at me from her front porch…"

Does Nicole know how she feels?

Heck, does _she_ know how she feels?

How does she feel?

She feels fluttery and smiley every time that dimpled smile turns her way, heat rises in her cheeks when Nicole's hand brushes hers, and it all feels an awful lot like a crush.

And memories she thought she'd forgotten come back to her, memories of holding hands with a girl in elementary school and announcing they were married, memories of the redhead who sat behind her in math class and always made her stomach tie itself in knots when her hand tapped Waverly's shoulder to ask for a pencil.

And now Nicole's in danger. Because of her family, and their stupid curse.

She can't help but think if she was the heir then none of this would have happened, Nicole wouldn't have had a reason to come out to the homestead because there wouldn't have been a problem, if their family wasn't cursed maybe she could crush on a girl without worrying if that crush was going to get her killed.

She knows Nicole is capable (and smart and pretty and—) and she knows she can take care of herself.

But seeing her in that hospital bed makes her wish she'd never pulled into her orbit to begin with.

She clenches her fists. Her sister is still out there, kidnapped by some maniac, and here she is hiding in a bathroom beating herself up over the girl she likes.

If she doesn't do something she'll go crazy, she'll blame herself more for Nicole getting hurt.

She grabs a paper towel from the dispenser, wipes at her eyes, and pulls her mascara out of her bag and carefully reapplies it until no one can tell she's been crying.

And she smiles at her reflection, and she prepares herself to go out and hurt something, someone, for hurting the girl she cares about.


	5. Chapter 5

The kiss lights a fire in Waverly. One she's a little surprised to find, if she's being honest.

She can't get enough. Kissing Nicole is like being drunk on the sweetest wine, and she's surprised when she pulls away from her her lips aren't stained berry-red.

She's never felt like this before. Sure in the early stages with Champ, maybe.

But Nicole— _this—_ is different.

 _She's_ different.

That first kiss in the office on the couch leaves her reeling, and when she finally goes home (after an intense makeout session, straightening her clothes as she leaves), she finds her mind is still on Nicole and her hands are still shaking with the memory of that kiss.

She wants more. Craves more. Needs more of Nicole's hands and lips on her in a way she never did with Champ, with any boy. Stolen moments aren't going to be enough.

Gus told her to be fearless, chase what scares her. What scares her right now is telling Wynonna, what scares her is Nicole acting like it's all a big joke.

She calls Nicole, asks if they can meet even though they just parted a few hours ago.

"Yeah. I know a place. I'll pick you up. Wear something warm," she says, and hangs up.

Gus is sitting downstairs at the kitchen table with a cup of tea when Waverly comes down in her coat, and Waverly curses right when Gus looks up.

"Where're you heading off to so late?" Gus asks. But she's smiling, and Waverly reminds herself she's not a teenager anymore and Gus can't punish her for leaving the homestead late.

She could tell Gus, right here.

But this scares her, too.

"Meeting a friend," Waverly says casually, brushing her long hair over her shoulder. "What tea are you drinking?"

"Mm," Gus says. "Must be some friend for you to sneak out _and_ try to change the subject."

"Is it really sneaking out if you're watching me do it?"

"Waverly," Gus says softly, and Waverly sighs and sits down across from her aunt.

"What're you doing up late?" Waverly asks, and Gus sighs.

"Thinking about Curtis, I guess. Anniversary's coming up."

Waverly nods. "Guess it is."

She fiddles with the rings on her fingers, the ends of her hair. She stares down at the table and runs her fingers across grooves made when Wynonna was angry and dug a switchblade into the family table. When she finally looks up, Gus is staring at her.

"When I met Curtis, no one thought we were good for each other," Gus says. "He was from the wrong part of town, he wasn't gonna amount to anything. He was an Earp and I was a girl from a well-off family, as well-off as one could be in Purgatory. But we fell for each other and there wasn't nothing that would've kept me away from that boy."

She smiles at Waverly. "I guess what I'm saying is, don't let what other people think keep you from who you want."

Waverly opens her mouth, then hears the honk of Nicole's car outside.

"Thanks, Gus," she says, and Gus reaches over the table and squeezes her hand.

"Tell the officer I said hello," she says, and Waverly smiles.

"Will do," she says, and heads out to her girlfriend's car.

"This is yours?" she says as she slides in the front seat of an old pickup. It occurs to her that she's never seen Nicole driving anything other than a cop car.

"Was my mom's," Nicole says.

She's never heard Nicole talk about her family before either.

"So where are we going?" Waverly asks as Nicole pulls out of the driveway and heads back out to the road.

"You'll see," she says.

Waverly picks up her iPod and begins fiddling with it, searching through Nicole's playlists for something familiar.

"Enya? _Evanescence_? Did you have a Goth phase in middle school?" she asks, laughing.

"Oh yeah, totally cried my eyes out over straight girls with 'Bring Me to Life' on repeat," Nicole laughs.

"Did you always know?" Waverly blurts out, then covers her mouth with her hands. "Shit I'm totally sorry I don't know if that's okay to ask or what—"

Nicole puts a hand on her knee. "It's fine," she says, and she flashes Waverly that smile that makes her heart almost pound out of her chest.

"I knew when I was in middle school, I guess. Kept it to myself though. Grew up in a town smaller than Purgatory, so…" Nicole laughs. "Snuck out to a Pride parade when I was seventeen. First time I'd ever kissed a girl that wasn't playing 'spin the bottle,' so."

Waverly nods. Fidgets with the iPod again. "How'd your parents take it?"

Nicole shrugs. "They were cool with it. They'd already kinda guessed, though. And then I moved out, went to college, and came out there and… that's kinda it. So I've had time to get used to it, you know? I know it's new for you," she says, and she moves her hand from Waverly's knee to her own hand, intertwining their fingers. "But we'll be okay."

Waverly swallows. Turns up the music, but just as she does Nicole cuts it off.

"We're here," she says, and Waverly looks out the window.

They're on the edge of town, right on the outskirts, desert sky shining with a million stars they can't see in the city.

"It's beautiful," Waverly murmurs, and she leans her head on Nicole's shoulder.

"That's not all," Nicole says, and next thing Waverly knows Nicole's opening the door of the truck and stepping out.

"Nicole—dammit," Waverly says, and follows her out into the cold. "Nicole?"

"Up here," Nicole says, and Waverly follows her around to the bed of the truck, laughing.

Nicole's turned her truck bed into a fort. Blankets and pillows and she's holding a thermos Waverly somehow knows is hot chocolate before she even takes it from her.

She hoists herself up into the truck bed and leans against the pillows, against Nicole, inhaling her perfume mixed with the scent of the chocolate in the thermos.

"Wynonna taught me the constellations, once," she whispers. "After Willa and Daddy died, I… I was a mess. Wynonna was a bigger mess, though, and everyone focused on her. But some nights we'd go up on the roof and she'd hold my hand and point out all the constellations and she wouldn't say anything if I started crying." Waverly sighs.

"Show them to me," Nicole says, and Waverly begins pointing them out, Orion's Belt and Pisces and Ursa Major the bear, her favorite.

And then Nicole is kissing her, and Waverly kisses her back, and her lips are warm and sweet and she gasps when she moves to her neck.

Nicole sits up, takes her shirt off and smiles down at Waverly.

"You have freckles," Waverly says, and she traces a finger down Nicole's chest, watch as she shivers.

"Constellations," Nicole corrects, grinning that dimpled grin that makes Waverly's heart melt. "Show me which ones I have?"

Waverly's heart is about to beat out of her chest. She scoots close to Nicole, lets Nicole take her own shirt off, shivers—though not from the cold.

"There's Capricorn," she says, kissing a spot on Nicole's collarbone. She moves to her neck. "And that's Gemini."

Nicole moans. The sound fills Waverly's ears and then she's kissing Nicole hard and she forgets about the stars except the ones she's seeing when she closes her eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

Her heart races the entire way to the hospital.

She knows she shouldn't be here, she should be with Wynonna, her sister, trying to stop Willa.

But Wynonna insisted.

"I got this," she said, that familiar glint of determination in her eye, and Waverly knew there was no arguing with her. "You go comfort your girlfriend, okay?"

The way she said girlfriend made Waverly laugh. If they make it out of this, she knows Wynonna will give her hell for not telling her earlier.

She follows the ambulance, which Nicole insisted she didn't need (and Waverly _insisted_ she did). Her knuckles are white on the steering wheel as they hit the highway, since it was someone's decision to take Nicole to the larger hospital in the city rather than Purgatory's local one.

(Okay it was her decision. Anything to get out of Purgatory right now.)

Waverly switches on the radio, lets the music fill her car so she doesn't have to think about Willa or the look on Nicole's face when she was shot.

She could kill her sister for that.

Though if Willa's to believed, they aren't even sisters. Half-sisters.

She can't think about that right now.

So she turns up the radio, and she sings, and she drives.

By the time she gets to the hospital, Nicole's already in a hospital gown, propped up in a bed.

"Just a lot of bruising, don't worry," she says immediately as Waverly enters the room.

"I hope Wynonna kills her," Waverly says in response, trying not to look at Nicole looking small and fragile in the hospital bed.

"Waves."

Nothing. Waverly keeps looking at her shoes.

"Waverly, look at me."

Waverly looks up. Nicole's looking at her with those eyes that could melt or steal a heart.

"I'm fine," she says gently, and it's those words that make Waverly sniff and wipe at her eyes. "I'm really fine. I promise."

Waverly nods. "Ok."

"C'mere," Nicole says, and scoots over on the bed, patting the empty space next to her. Waverly hitches up her skirts—why didn't she change out of that dress—and curls up next to Nicole. Her skirt takes up the entire bed.

"I'm okay," Nicole soothes.

Waverly nuzzles into the crook of her neck. "I thought I lost you. I thought—"

"I know. But I'm not going anywhere, okay? Not when you love me," she says, and Waverly feels herself blush.

"Too soon?" she murmurs.

"Not too soon," Nicole says, and then her hand is under Waverly's chin and she's tilting her face up to kiss her. It's a sweet kiss, more chaste than their others as Waverly's mindful of where they are and the fact anyone could walk by and see them.

"I love you," Nicole whispers, and Waverly feels a smile spread over her face that she hasn't felt in awhile.

"I love you too," Waverly says, and kisses her again. "Do you think Wynonna's okay?"

"Your sister's a tough badass. She'll be fine."

"But Willa—"

"Is no match for Wynonna. Or Doc. Or Dolls. You know that, they'll all be okay," Nicole says, and then she starts laughing. "Your family's pretty tough, you know?"

Are they her family if she isn't an Earp?

"Yeah, they are," Waverly says, and she hopes Nicole can't hear the shaking in her voice.

"You're tough, too," Nicole says, kissing Waverly's cheek.

Waverly nods, curling up further into Nicole, her head on her shoulder.

She tells herself she's only going to close her eyes for a minute. That's all.

But when Wynonna comes in, hours later, battle-hardened and angry and ready to give her sister the news, the two women are still sleeping, arms wrapped around each other like they'll never let go.


	7. Chapter 7

Wynonna insists on rolling the truck windows down. Even though it's freezing.

Waverly insisted on coming to the place Wynonna killed Willa. Even though it's not a good idea.

Nicole insisted on staying home. "Somebody's gotta watch the place," she said, smiling that smile that lights a thousand fires in Waverly.

And so they're here. The edge of town. The edge of the Ghost River Triangle. The spot where Wynonna killed her sister.

The sound of the truck is loud as Wynonna slams the door. Waverly steps out before she realizes it, pulls her coat tighter, and walks up to the gate. Wynonna and Dolls linger behind.

Waverly takes a deep breath of frigid air, steels herself to look at the gate, at the place where her sister died.

(Was she really her sister?)

Maybe it doesn't matter.

She wishes Nicole were here.

But maybe Nicole doesn't need to see this, to experience it. Waverly knows Doc and Dolls filled her in on the strangeness of their town, but she's not ready to open up all the dark family secrets yet, even if Willa did shoot her girlfriend.

Thinking of Nicole makes her warm, makes her ignore the frigid cold.

Thinking of her sister's acceptance makes her warmer.

And she knows-

With Nicole, with Wynonna, she's ready to face whatever comes next, no matter what that is.

She may not be an Earp, but dammit, she's got the spirit of one.

And she is ready.

 **A/N: That's it for this series! Thank you so much for sticking with this one and leaving reviews and subscriptions! I promise I'm not done writing WayHaught, so if you want to subscribe to my collection of WayHaught drabbles called "Sweet Dreams (Of You)" on my profile it'd be greatly appreciated! Thanks again!**


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